Derailer.



R. HAMILTON.

DERAILER. APPLIOATIONhI-BD JULY 20, 1903.. 911,021. Patented Jan.26,1909.

UNITED STATESPATENT QFFICE.

ROBERT HAMILTON, OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA.

DEBAILER;

To all it may concern."

Be it known that I, ROBERT HAMILTON, a

citizen of the United States, residingat'Bir:

mingham, in the county of Jeiferson and State of Alabama, have invent-ednew and useful Improvements in Derailers, of which the following is a specification. '7

This invention relates to a car derailer'of that type having an automatic action and associated with a car wheel. In the use of the term car it will be understood that not only the device generally known under wheel'as to permit free or unobstructed for the term car is contemplated, but any equivalent vehicle or any wheeled part that is capable of traveling along rails or similar or substantially analogous guiding means is intended to be included in such term. 7

The improved derailer or derailing member has such individual structure and is so disposed in opposite relation to the car ward movement of the vehicle or car, but will positively and automatically derail the vehicle on backward movement thereof or when such car or vehiclehas been accide n' tally retracted a certain or predetermined distance. i p

The derailer involvin'gthe present invention is normally held out of contact withthe rail or guiding means-for the wheel of the vehicle and may be used on a single vehicle,

but its prime utility is evidenced when it is, employed in conjunction witha train or, ,as

itis sometimes known, trip of mine cars.

under the conditions just mentioned and is reliable in its operation in view of the fact that it will be automatically thrown into derailing osition on the backward movement of t e car. It is preferred thatthe derailer or derailing member be applied in cooperative relation with the rear car of a train of mine cars, though ifdesired it may be applied to a number of cars of each train.

A simple and effective form of embodiment of the invention is disclosed in the ac- 7 Specification of Letters Patent.

I Application filed July 20, 1908. Serial No. 444,372.

Patented Jan. 26, 1909.

companying drawing, and in the latter: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of the car shown equipped with a derailer or derailing member embodying the features of the invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the car wheel and a portion of the car side shown in section and illustrating the derailer or derailing member in position over the wheel.

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section on the line 3.3, Fig. 1. tical section on the line 4-4, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the derailer or derailing member. Fig. 6 is a detail ele vation of a portion of the car body and the derailer showing a slight modification in'the structure. I

Similar characters of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

The numeral 1 designates a car of any preferred form or may be any other type of vehicle disposed on an axle 2 having flanged wheels 3 to cooperate with track rails or guide means 4. On the side of the body of the car 1 in advance of theupper portion of the wheel 3 an angular stop device 5 is secured to cooperate with the derailer or derailing'member.

' The derailing member or attachment 6 has an elongated curved tapering body, or a body of practicalcurved wedge shape gradually increasing in thickness from a reduced lZGIIIllnal'? to a head 8 and normally supported in loose, contact over the upper portion of the car wheel and also dependin over a part of the rear of the said wheel, as clearly shown by Fig. 1. ,The deraileror derailing member is in effect a cam loosely supported in relation to the car wheel and the head 8 has an inner extension 9 with a groove 10 extending completely therethrough to fit over the flange of the car wheel, the. said grooved extension ;in position for accurate engagement with the V The derailer or derailing member is loosely and removably connected to the outer end of the axle 2 through the medium of a spring or yielding coupling 12 attached at opposite ex-- tremities respectively to an eye or ring 13 se- Fig. 4 is a transverse vercured to the derailer and to an eye or ring 14 movably connected to the end of the axle 2. This spring 12 performs an important function when the derailer or derailing member is thrown down in contact with the rail 4, particularly when the car wheel rides over the increased dimensions or head portion 8 of the derailer, and under the latter conditions the said spring is expanded and draws the de railer closely against the tread of the wheel and insures a retention of the attaclnnent in connection with the car wheel and also encourages an accurate registrationoi the outer working surface as 15 with the rail tread or head. The retention of the derailer or derailing member in connection with the car wheel'is also insured by reason of the grooved extension 9 fitting over the flange of the wheel. The advantage of making the derailer or der'ailing member detachable is the convenience ensuing under such conditions in applying it to opposite ends of a car or vehicle or in cooperative relation with the wheels at op osite extremities of a car.

The derail er or derailing memberis normally in the position shown by Fig. 1, the head Storming a weighted extremity which is terminally in contact with the angular stop 5 and to'one side of the vertical diameter of the wheel, and owing to the preponderance of weight to one side of the vertical diameter of the wheel, the derailer will be obstructed in having too loose application or in tending to fall back and downwardly to the rail when it is 'und'esirable'that it should assume such position. 1-11 the event that the train or a car equipped with the derailer becomes detached on anincline, the sudden rearward movement throws the d'erailer or derailing member over in a rearward direction and brings the working surface 15in contact with the rail 4. The wheel rides over the curved surface of the derailer adjacent to the tread thereof for a short distance and at the same time the said wheel and body of the vehicle are lifted, and when the sidew-ise shifting portionor oblique rib 11 reachesthe proper point under the car wheel th'e'latter, together with the car body, will be laterally displaced and the car thrown from the track rail and almost immediately cease to move owing to the obstruction set up to thefree travel of the car wheels and thereby a train will be brought to a standstill.

In the modified construction shown by Fig. 6 the s ring 12 is connected at one end to the derai ing member and at the opposite end to an eye 12 at the top of the stop device 5; The spring as shown by Figs. 1 and 2 serves as a coupling meansfor the derailing member when the latter is applied to an open hub'wheel to which the end of the axle is exposed. In Fig. 6 the spring is shown associated with the derailing member as a coupling means when said member is associated with a wheel having a closed hub. Either one or both of the rear wheels of a car may be equipped with the derailer, and the most effective feature is the reliability of the derailing member in causing the car to swing bodily sidewise and wholly carry the rear wheels or those lowermost on an incline out of operative engagement with respect to the rails, and thus avert serious accidents and injury to the rolling stock.

The present derailer or derailing member and the attaching means speciiied constitute an improvement on the derailer disclosed by my Patent 888,892, dated May 26, 1908, the essential difl'er'ence being that the present derailer or derailing member has an automatic gravitating action and is simplified in its application in that it is unnecessary to apply a supporting shaft or analogous device to the car for holding the same.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is:

1. The combination of a railway vehicle and a wheel engaging gravitating derailing member thereon serving to permit free forward movement of said vehicle and to positively derail said vehicle on the back and movement thereof.

2. The combination of a railway vehicle and a rotary wheel engaging gravitating derailing member connected to said vehicle and serving to permit free for ard movement of the vehicle and to positively derail the sameon baclnvard movement of said vehicle.

3. The combinaton oi a railway vehicle and a derailing member normally held above and over the vehicle wheel and having a gravitating movement, the member being adapted to engage a rail on which said vehicle travels and serving to normally permit free forward movement of the vehicle and to automatically and positively derail said ve hicle on the backward movement thereof.

l. The combination of a vehicle and a wheel engaging derailing member having a gravitating movement and connected to said vehicle and adapted to automatically lift the vchicle'on the movement thereof in a certain direction.

5. The combination of a vehicle and a curved wedge shaped derailing membergravitatingly disposed over and movable around the vehicle wheel and adapted to lift the wheel and vehicle on the movement of the latter in a certain direction.

6. The combination of a vehicle and a rotary derailing member having a gravitating movement over and around the vehicle wheel ano adapted to lift and then move the wheel and vehicle sidewise during the traveling movements of said wheel and vehicle.

7. The combination of a vehicle having an axle with a wheel thereon and a derailing member gravitatingly mounted over and movable around the wheel and loosely constop means thereon, and a derailing member gravitatingly mounted on the vehicle over and in operative relation to the vehicle wheel.

9. The combination of a vehicle having an axle with wheels thereon, and a derailing member 'gravitatingly mounted with relation to the Wheels and'removably'and loosely co11- nected to the axle and having a movement to first elevate the vehicle and then to shift the vehicle sidewise during the traveling movement of the vehicle.

1G. The combination of a vehicle having an axle, a wheel on the axle, and a derailing cam gravitatingly mounted over and movable around the wheel. a

11. The combination of a vehicle having an axle, a wheel on the axle, a derailing cam rotatably and gravitatingly supported over and movable around the wheel, and a resilient connection between the cam and the axle.

12. As an article of manufacture, a curved wedge-shaped wheel engaginglderailing cam the working surface of which is provided with a derailing portion.

13. As an article of manufacture, a curved wedge-shaped Wheel engaging derailing cam the working surface of which is provided with an obliquely disposed rib.

14. The combination with a rotatable car wheel and axle, of a derailing member movably supported over and gravitatingly shiftable under the wheel.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT HAMILTON. Witnesses:

W. E. MATHEWS, Tnos. G. FEAR. 

